


The Twist in the Storybook

by Doctor_Caparty



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Killian instead of Neal, Lieutenant Duckling, No Neal
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-28
Updated: 2016-04-04
Packaged: 2018-05-29 15:16:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6381562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Doctor_Caparty/pseuds/Doctor_Caparty
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Instead of finding Neal in the back of an old Beetle she gets caught by an old hand at the thieving game and our plot progresses from there.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Getting Caught

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, I also don't know if I own this plot but since I couldn't find any fics along the same lines I don't think I stole anyone's idea. 
> 
>  
> 
> Thank you to my beta for this chapter, Hogwartsowls

Just a few inches closer, that was all she needed. The setting was optimal, crowded block, busy and impatient city goers, and just enough space for a small, nimble 17 year old to squeeze through undetected. She had found the perfect prize for her daily challenge, he was tall, arrogant, and easily very rich, but not the multiple credit card kind of rich; the “I only pay in cash” kind of rich. She had picked her prize well. Now, all Emma needed was a few more inches, she was seconds away from slipping out his wallet. If her everything went according to plan she would swipe his wallet take a few of the bills that he was less likely to miss then she would slip the wallet back in his pocket. It was a perfect plan he would never notice and Emma would be a few bucks richer and able to buy herself some food rather than stealing it. 

 

_ Ok Emma, you can do this, take a deep breath and go for it. You know what you’re doing. _ She thought to herself, she knew this was a routine job, but the nerves were still there.  _ 3\. 2. 1. GO! _ Emma grabbed the wallet, opened it, and did a mental happy dance; she was right he was the cash rich. She grabbed two twenties, two tens, and three ones. Just as she was slipping the wallet back in his pocket he moved… to avoid suspicion she dropped the wallet on the ground and picked it right back up. “Oh mister! Mister, I think you dropped your wallet!” He stopped and turned, checking his back pockets, she smiled internally, she had him. 

 

“Thank you, young lady! There really should be more people in the world like you! Here, have a ten for being such a good samaritan.” He thanked handing her the bill, he didn’t even notice the other bills missing. 

 

“Sir, thank you very much but that really isn’t necessary.” 

 

“Nonsense, you deserve it.” He forced the bill into her hand before he continued on his oblivious way. 

 

Turning around she had smug grin on her face, a whole 70 dollars! She would have enough for a decent breakfast in the morning too! As she continued on her way down the street she couldn’t help but feel eyes on her, looking around briefly she didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, shrugging she continued on. Now to find a some dinner and a place to spend the night…

 

~~~

 

She was walking out of the convenience store she just bought her dinner from when she felt eyes on her again. She didn’t see anybody but this was way too creepy for her not to check out, looking in the nearest alley she didn’t see anybody, the people walking down the street weren't there when she got the feeling and the man in the yellow beetle was completely passed out and from the empty bottles on the floorboards, it looked like he has been like that for a while. 

 

Suddenly her wrist was grabbed, panic, that was all that she thought. She tried to break free but the grasp was firm, stepping up she shot her foot back down on the person’s foot, she could feel the fingers around her wrist loosen, slipping free she ran. Finding an alley to slip through, she hid behind a dumpster, stuck between the wall and the sticky metal she waited. Emma could hear her attacker’s footsteps on the cracked pavement slow down and grow louder, he was close, her breathing as quiet as she could get it. After a few minutes she heard the footprints move away from her and then completely out of earshot. Trying to get her breathing back under control she maneuvered herself out from her hiding spot and left the alley, and started walking toward the less sketchy part of town. 

 

“That was quite the stunt you pulled earlier, lass. Pretending he dropped his wallet. Bloody brilliant if you ask me.” Eyes wide, she spun around. The man that spoke was standing a few paces behind her, looking as if he hadn’t just chased her down a dark alley. She was completely speechless, fear and adrenaline coursing through her body. He didn’t seem to notice and continued talking. “I really couldn’t have done better myself, you are a master at being unnoticed.” 


	2. Teaming Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own the characters but I do own this idea. 
> 
> Thank you Morgan, for beta-ing this chapter for me.

“Who are you? Why are you following me? Why were you chasing me? What do you want?” Once her brain finally started functioning again, the questions just started flooding out.

“I am just a man that saw your skill and wanted to help you out, lass, there isn’t any chasing going on here.” He gave her a suave smile that he probably thought worked on all the little chickies he meets.

“That’s all well and good but you missed a question: Who. Are. You?” Emma popped a hip out at the last part, looking exactly like the rebellious teen she was.

For the first time, she took account of the man she was talking to. He was tall with vibrant blue eyes and just enough stubble on his chin to look older than he probably was. His hair was ruffled in just a way that she couldn’t tell if it was supposed to be that way or if it was the wind’s fault. Emma shook her head; even if he was incredibly handsome she couldn’t let that affect her. He had been following her.

“Killian Jones at your service, ma’am. And might I say it’s quite the service to be in.” He said with a cheeky wink. It was obvious he was trying to flirt her into a false sense of security. “I didn’t quite catch your name though.”

“That’s because I didn’t give it. I’m not as dumb as you might think. I don’t usually give my name to stalkers.” Killian laughed at that. “You know, I would really like to be on my way and eat my dinner in peace, thank you very much, Killian” She spat and turned to get away from him.

“It was nice meeting you, M’lady!” Emma rolled her eyes. Who even talks like that anymore?

~~~

The next day she carefully locked up the empty house she snuck into the night before; not even a speck of dust was out of place. It was sad how good Emma was getting at squatting in vacation empty houses. She counted the change she had left over. “Yes! If I can manage to spend this wisely I might be able to last another day!” She congratulated herself.

“If you let me help you, you wouldn’t have to worry about saving for your next meal.”

“Jesus! Killian, what the hell are you doing here?! How do you keep finding me?” Emma jumped. He was sitting on the edge of a flower bed as casual as he could be.

“I think you’re making a mistake in not allowing me to help you. We could be a team, scamming family owned shops. It would be so easy with the two of us, and if you were with someone else the owners would stop looking at you suspiciously, and you know it.”

Emma thought about it for a bit. It would make her jobs easier if she had someone else to count on, and he doesn’t look like a bum. If she showed up with him they would barely look twice at them, and lastly she was tired of being on her own. “Emma. My name is Emma Swan.” She said and made her way out of the neighbourhood.

“It’s a pleasure to make your partnership, Emma Swan.” Killian gave his hand for her to shake.

~~~

The next few weeks went by quite well. Killian would spend most of their days teaching Emma how to effectively scam store owners, street people, and even other street scammers. The weeks after that he taught her how to fight and get out of bad situations. At about the third week in their partnership, it became more of a friendship and they started opening up about what got them here in the first place.

“I was in a bad place after my brother passed. I wasn’t the man I knew he wanted me to be. I was selling my criminal skills to the wealthy in something of a gentler mercenary. I realized I couldn’t do that to myself anymore, and then I found you and had to get involved with you somehow.” Killian told her one night after a particularly taxing day.

Emma soaked in his story before she started in on an edited version of her story: “I was being bounced from foster home to foster home and I finally got tired of it so I decided to go rogue. After a family with an absentee mother I called it quits and found that the streets were more forgiving than the man of the house. Had a friend that got me into quite a bit of trouble in one of my better homes teach me the basics of being alone on the streets, and found my own talent at it along the way.” Emma looked down her glass only to find that it was empty.

“Well, I think we should call it a night, Swan.” Killian told her as he got off the floor, they had been squatting in a foreclosed apartment for the last week. Emma nodded and got up herself, heading toward the bare mattress they had found and brought up. Laying down, it finally hit her how much her training had knocked out of her. Once Killian got back in the room she was already asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it looks like I am posting on Sundays but I'm not sure how well I will follow that schedule.


End file.
